At last year's Interior Design Show in Toronto, Ikea pulled the sheets off of their bold country kitchen look, an aesthetic departure from the blonde-wood kitchens with which their showrooms had become associated. The kitchen won the show's Gold Booth Award and our entry on it quickly caught Facebook fire.

At this year's IDS, the design pendulum has swung the other way: Ikea's display kitchen features a distinctly sleek and modern look, one reportedly inspired by "the classic fashion combination of a black dress and pearls." In sharp contrast to last year's kitchen, where pots, pans, and kitchen storage objects were all made visible, this year's kitchen design renders most objects invisible, tucking them away behind glossy surfaces. In a second nod to the fashion world the backsplash tiles are meant to evoke patent leather quilted handbags and the island has received special focus.

"Our research shows that the bulk of kitchen activity, whether it is food prep, entertaining dinner guests or homework, happens at the island," explains Madeleine Löwenborg-Frick, IKEA Canada's Public Relations Manager. "We switched things around and used the virtually indestructible HanStone on the island and granite on the worktops. The island features two levels, making it even more functional for all of the daily activities it accommodates." (HanStone is a moldable, compound stone material produced by blending quartz, silica and a polymer resin binding agent; the resultant surface is both durable and considered ideal for food preparation.)

Will Ikea's modern change-up give it a second shot at the Gold? Too early to tell, as it just went up yesterday and the show's still got two days left.

It's not so interesting to see a product you knew was going to succeed, succeed; it's much more fascinating to watch the success of something you were initially dismissive of. As a designer there's much more to be learned in the latter situation, requiring a re-jiggering of your understanding of...

Digby Beam Table, from structural beams that framed the Grace's hull.With dumpster divers, salvage supply warehouses and innumerable upcycled interiors dotting the landscape, Brooklyn might be home to some of the thriftiest and innovative recyclers. Brooklyn-based designers Uhuru are no strangers to using reclaimed material. The design duo of Jason...

Paolo Rizzatto may be a self-described architect (scroll through his beautiful architectural drawings on his website), but it's his colorful and playfully named Ping Pong Pang chair that's been getting everyone's attention lately. Designed for the Italian outdoor furniture company, Serralunga, the chair's nimble design was apparently inspired by a...

Every day by quitting time, my ex-boss' desk was spotless, like he was preparing for a visit from Dieter Rams. I admired his discipline, which was surely one of the traits that led to him heading up the design department at a Fortune 500 company.If I had his discipline I'd...